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LIBRARY  OF  CONGRESS 


The  Library  of  Congress 


THIRD   KDITION 


WASHINGTON 

GOVERNMENT   PRINTING    OFFICE 

LIBRARY   BRANCH 

1922 


(yC^   LIBRARY  OF  CONGRESS 


The  Library  of  Congress 


THIRD   KDITION 


SCHOOL  OF  LIBRARIANSHIP 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 

BERKELEY.  CALIFORNIA 

WASHINGTON 

GOVERNMENT   PRINTING    OEEICE 

I^IBRARY   BRANCH 

1922 


L.  C.  card  22-26006 


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PREFATORY  NOTE 

This  account  of  the  Library  of  Congress  was  prepared  in  1911 
by  William  Warner  Bishop,  Superintendent  of  the  Reading  Room 
from  1907  to  September,  1915.  It  was  first  issued  by  the 
American  Library  Association  Publishing  Board  as  a  "preprint" 
of  Chapter  II  of  the  "A.  L.  A.  Manual  of  Library  Economy". 
With  the  consent  of  the  Publishing  Board  the  Library  of  Con- 
gress reprinted  it  for  its  own  use  in  1914,  with  the  addition  of 
certain  plans  of  the  building.  This  present  issue  brings  the 
statistics  down  to  date  and  includes  new  matter  descriptive  of 
activities  developed  since  the  publication  of  the  previous  edition. 

Frederick  W.  Ashley 
Superintendent  of  the  Reading  Room 
Herbert  Putnam 

Librarian  of  Congress 
November  1,  1922 


ft/i2«PQ^n 


THE  LIBRARY  OF  CONGRESS 

HISTORY^ 

The  Library  of  Congress  was  established  by  virtue  of  an  act 
of  Congress  approved  April  24,  1800,  appropriating  $5,000  for  the 
purchase  of  books  and  for  fitting  up  a  suitable  apartment  in  the 
Capitol  to  contain  them.  In  1802  a  joint  committee  of  both 
Houses  on  the  Library  was  created.  Under  direction  of  this 
committee  the  Library  continued  for  many  years,  but  with  the 
abandonment  of  joint  committees  the  control  passed  more  and 
more  to  the  librarian.  Since  1897  the  direction  of  the  Library 
has  been  entirely  in  his  hands  as  a  matter  of  law. 

In  1814  the  Library,  then  numbering  slightly  over  3,000 
volumes,  was  destroyed  when  the  Capitol  was  burned  by  the 
British  troops.  Very  shortly  thereafter  the  library  of  Thomas 
Jefferson,  amounting  to  about  7,000  volumes,  was  purchased  as 
a  nucleus  of  a  new  collection.  A  catalogue  of  this  library,  made 
by  Jefferson  himself,  was  published  in  1815.  The  system  of 
classification  used  by  him  was  followed  in  the  arrangement  of 
the  books  and  in  various  published  catalogues  until  1864.  The 
annual  increase  was  steady  but  small  (about  1,300  volumes)  until 
a  second  disastrous  fire  in  1851  left  but  20,000  volumes  out  of 
the  55,000  to  which  the  collection  had  grown.  Appropriations 
were  made  at  once  to  restore  the  Library's  quarters  in  the  Capitol 
and  to  replace  at  least  in  part  the  books  destroyed.  In  1865  these 
quarters  were  much  enlarged  and  in  1867  the  purchase  for 
$100,000  of  the  Peter  Force  collection  of  Americana  of  some 

iCf.  Johnston,  Wm.  Dawson,  History  of  the  Library  of  Congress,  vol.  1,  1800- 
1864.     Washington,  Government  Printing  Office,  1904. 

U.  S.  Library  of  Congress.  Report  of  the  librarian  for  1901.  Washington,  Gov- 
ernment Printing  Office,  1901,  pp.  183-197  ;  cf.  also  the  annual  reports  from  1897 
to  date. 

5 


6  the;  library  of  congricss 

60,000  articles  increased  materially  the  size  of  the  Library,  which 
had  reached  nearly  100,000  volumes  in  the  previous  year.  In 
1867  also  the  library  of  the  Smithsonian  Institution  of  some 
40,000  volumes,  consisting  largely  of  transactions  of  learned 
societies,  was  deposited  with  the  Library  of  Congress,  which  has 
continued  to  act  as  the  custodian  for  the  Smithsonian  Institution. 
Largely  by  virtue  of  this  arrangement,  the  Library's  collections 
of  the  transactions  of  learned  societies  has  become  the  most  ex- 
tensive in  America. 

From  1846  to  1859  the  copyright  law  required  one  copy  of  a 
copyrighted  book  to  be  deposited  in  the  Library.  The  same  pro- 
vision was  in  force  from  1865  to  1870.  The  act  of  July  8,  1870, 
placed  the  registration  of  copyrights  under  the  care  of  the  Li- 
brarian of  Congress,  and  required  the  deposit  of  two  copies  of 
each  article  copyrighted.  The  provision  remains  in  force,  with 
a  few  exceptions,  under  the  act  of  March  4,  1909. 

With  the  administration  of  Dr.  A.  R.  Spofford,  appointed 
librarian  in  1864,  the  Library  entered  on  a  period  of  rapid  growth. 
In  addition  to  the  Force  collection  many  smaller  collections  were 
acquired,  large  numbers  of  newspapers  were  secured  and  bound, 
and  the  manuscripts  greatly  increased  by  the  purchase  of  the 
Rochambeau  and  other  papers.  The  operation  of  the  copyright 
law  and  the  agreement  with  the  Smithsonian  Institution  per- 
mitted the  somewhat  meager  appropriations  for  the  increase  of 
the  Library  to  be  used  to  great  advantage  in  the  auction  market 
and  in  buying  foreign  books.  When  Dr.  Spofford  retired  from 
the  active  direction  of  the  Library  in  1897  it  had  grown  to  about 
a  million  volumes  and  pamphlets.  The  crowding  of  this  collec- 
tion in  the  extremely  inadequate  space  at  the  Capitol  had  long 
since  shown  the  imperative  need  of  a  separate  building  for  the 
Library. 

As  early  as  1873  Congress  began  to  consider  the  matter  of  new 
quarters.  In  1886,  after  13  years  of  discussion,  the  construction 
of  a  new  building  was  authorized  on  the  site  immediately  east  of 
the  Capitol.  This  building  was  completed  in  February,  1897,  at 
a  cost  of  $6,347,000,  on  land  costing  $585,000.     The  books  were 


THli   LIBRARY   OF    CONGRESS  7 

moved  to  the  building  in  the  following  summer,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  a  portion  of  the  law  library,  which  still  remains  at  the 
Capitol. 

Before  the  new  building  was  occupied.  Congress  in  the  appro- 
priation, act  of  1897  provided  for  the  reorganization  of  the  Li- 
brary, created  the  office  of  register  of  copyrights,  and  increased 
the  number  of  employees.  Dr.  Spofford,  to  whose  unwearying 
zeal  and  enthusiasm  the  growth  of  the  Library  was  largely  due, 
became  chief  assistant  librarian  in  1897  on  the  appointment  of 
John  Russell  Young  as  librarian.  In  1899  Herbert  Putnam  was 
called  from  the  Boston  Public  Library  to  the  post  made  vacant 
by  Mr.  Young's  death. 

Since  entering  the  new  building'  the  Library  has  grown  re- 
markably in  size  and  in  service  rendered.  It  has  become  in  fact, 
if  not  in  name,  the  national  library.  In  1922  its  collections  num- 
bered: books,  3,000,408;  maps  and  charts,  174,093;  music, 
954,304;  prints,  photographs,  etc.,  428,745.  The  number  of  per- 
sons employed  in  the  building  is  694,  including  91  in  the  copyright 
office,  150  occupied  with  the  care  of  the  building  and  grounds,  and 
95  engaged,  under  the  Public  Printer,  in  the  work  of  printing  and 
book-binding  for  the  Library.  It  has  come  into  active  relations 
with  the  libraries  of  the  country,  and,  while  rendering  greatly 
increased  service  to  Congress,  has  begun  a  career  of  service  to 
the  whole  nation. 


There  is  no  single  act  of  Congress  setting  forth  the  constitu- 
tion of  the  Library.  Sections  80-100  of  chapter  6  of  the  Revised 
Statutes  of  1873  and  the  appropriation  act  of  1897  are  the  most 
important  laws  relating  to  the  institution.  The  Library  is  classed 
by  law  as  a  branch  of  the  legislative  department  of  the  Govern- 
ment, and  although  the  librarian  is  appointed  by  the  President  he 
reports  directly  to  Congress.     Appropriations  for  its  support  are 

iFor  a  description  of  the  condition  of  the  Library  in  1900  cf.  Putnam,  H.,  The 
Library  of  Congress,  Atlantic  Monthly,  vol.  85,  pp.  147-58.  Cf.  also  Annual  re- 
port of  the  librarian,  1901,  pp.  292-351. 

'Ct.  Annual  report  for  1901,  pp.  198-208. 


8  the:  library  of  congress 

made  annually  by  Congress  in  the  legislative  appropriation  bill. 
The  librarian  submits  to  the  Treasury  estimates  of  his  needs,  and 
appears  before  the  appropriations  committee  in  support  of  his 
recommendations. 

The  total  appropriation  for  1922  was  $711,745.00,  divided  as 
follows : 

Contingent  expenses $8,000.00 

Increase  of  Library : 

Books $90,000.00 

Lawbooks 3,000.00 

Periodicals 5,000.00 

■    98,000.00 

Salaries 572,745.00 

Fuel,  lights,  furniture,  etc 33,000.00 

^$711,745.00 

The  building  is  open  from  9  a.  m.  until  10  p.  m.,  except  on 
Sundays  and  most  holidays,  when  it  is  open  from  2  until  10  p.  m. 
The  main  reading  room  and  the  periodical  reading  room  are  open 
during  these  hours,  and  the  other  reading  rooms  and  offices  from 

9  a.  m.  until  4.30  p.  m. 

The  Library  is  absolutely  free  to  any  reader  over  16  years  old. 
The  privilege  of  drawing  books  for  home  use  is  confined  to 
Senators  and  Representatives,  certain  high  officials  of  the  Govern- 
ment, judges,  and  other  persons  designated  by  statute.  The 
librarian,  in  pursuance  of  his  authority  to  make  rules  and  regu- 
lations, occasionally  grants  this  privilege  to  scholars  engaged  in 
research.  The  Government  bureaus  in  Washington  draw  books 
freely  for  official  use,  usually  through  their  librarians.^ 

The  purpose  of  the  administration  is  the  freest  possible  use 
of  the  books  consistent  with  their  safety,  and  the  widest  pos- 
sible use  consistent  with  the  convenience  of  Congress.  There 
is  no  limit  to  the  number  of  books  a  reader  may  draw  for  refer- 
ence use,  and  he  has  direct  access  to  a  reference  collection  of  over 

iThis  sum  Is  exclusive  of  a  credit  of  $250,000  at  the  Government  Printing  Of- 
flee  for  printing  and  binding.     (For  1922-23,  $212,500) 

2Cf.  Annual  report,  1907,  pp.  70-78;  ibid.,  1908,  pp.  57-66. 


THE   LIBRARY   OF   CONGRESS  9 

15,000  volumes  in  the  main  reading  room.  If  his  studies  require 
that  he  have  access  to  the  shelves,  this  privilege  is  granted  him, 
and  if  he  needs  to  have  the  continuous  use 'of  the  same  books 
day  after  day,  he  is  given  a  table  where  they  may  be  reserved 
for  him.  When  a  typewriting  machine  will  greatly  facilitate  a 
scholar's  labors,  a  desk  is  provided  in  a  room  where  readers  will 
not  be  disturbed  by  its  use.  The  library  has  no  force  of  copyists, 
but  gives  to  those  desiring  to  have  extracts  made  the  names  and 
addresses  of  persons  making  a  business  of  such  work.  Photo- 
duplicates  of  books,  newspapers,  maps,  etc.,  are  furnished  at  a 
reasonable  rate  by  means  of  photostat  machines,  installed  in  the 
chief  clerk's  office. 

BUILDING. 

The  plans  for  the  building,^  which  was  begun  in  1886  and  com- 
pleted in  1897,  were  drawn  by  Messrs.  Smithmeyer  &  Pelz,  but 
the  building  was  actually  constructed  and  many  architectural 
details  worked  out  under  Gen.  Thomas  L.  Casey,  Chief  of  En- 
gineers, United  States  Army,  and  after  his  death  by  Bernard  R. 
Green.  The  exterior  is  of  gray  granite,  and  the  interior  is  highly 
decorated  with  marbles,  sculpture,  and  paintings.  The  building 
occupies  3J  acres  of  land,  contains  7,500,000  cubic  feet  of  space, 
and  over  8  acres  of  floor  space.  The  bookstacks  are  of  steel 
(Snead-Green  shelving),  and  the  whole  construction  is  fireproof. 
About  a  thousand  readers  can  be  accommodated  at  one  time  in 
the  various  reading  rooms  and  alcoves.  Owing  to  the  rapid 
growth  of  the  collections,  a  bookstack  was  constructed  (1909)  in 

»Cf.  Small,  Herbert,  Handbook  of  the  Library  of  Congress,  Boston,  1909;  Green, 
B.  R.,  The  new  building  for  the  Library  of  Congress,  Library  Journal,  vol.  21,  pp. 
13-20 ;  Green,  B.  R.,  The  building  for  the  Library  of  Congress,  Smithsonian  Insti- 
tution, Annual  report,  1897,  pp.  625-633  ;  Bain,  G.  G.,  The  Congressional  Library 
at  Washington,  American  Architect  and  Building  News,  vol.  48,  pp.  95-97  ;  Schuy- 
ler, M.,  The  new  Library  of  Congress,  Scribner's  Magazine,  vol.  21,  pp.  709-27 ; 
SpoflEord,  A.  R.,  The  Nation's  library  :  I,  The  new  building ;  II,  Special  features 
of  the  Congressional  Library,  Century,  vol.  31,  pp.  682-694  ;  Hempstead,  E.  A.,  The 
new  Congressional  Library,  Chatauquan,  vol.  23,  pp.  695-705 ;  Maury,  N.  B.,  The 
new  Congressional  Library,  Cosmopolitan,  vol.  23,  pp.  10-20 ;  The  National  Li- 
brary, Munsey's  Magazine, 'vol.  18,  pp.  707-713;  Coffin,  W.  A.,  The  decorations  in 
the  new  Congressional  Library,  Century,  vol.  31,  pp.  694-711. 


10  TH1$  LIBRARY   OF   CONGRE^SS 

the  southeast  courtyard.     This  is  lighted  wholly  by  electricity 
and  ventilated  by  forced  draft. 

C0I.I,ECTI0NS. 

The  collection  of  printed  books  and  pamphlets,  comprising  over 
3,000,000  volumes,  is  now  the  largest  in  the  Western  Hemisphere 
and  third  in  the  world.  The  main  collections  are  strongest  in 
bibliography,  history,  political  and  social  sciences,  public  law  and 
legislation,  the  fine  arts,  American  local  history,  biography  and 
genealogy.  Through  the  Smithsonian  Institution  extensive  files 
of  the  transactions  of  foreign  learned  societies  are  received. 
Under  the  operation  of  the  copyright  law  has  been  built  up 
(chiefly  since  1870)  the  most  complete  collection  in  existence  of 
the  products  of  the  American  press.  Through  the  international 
exchange  service  are  now  received  annually  about  12,000  volumes 
of  the  publications  of  foreign  governments.  American  govern- 
ments, federal,  state  and  local,  are  adding  about  24,000  volumes 
yearly. 

During  the  past  24  years  (1899-1922)  the  accessions  from  the 
principal  sources  of  increase  of  the  book  collections  have  been  as 
follows:  purchases,  637,800  volumes;  gifts  from  private  donors, 
253,600;  by  copyright,  313,400;  through  the  Smithsonian  Insti- 
tution, 154,400;  from  foreign  governments,  225,800;  from  Amer- 
ican governments,  federal,  state  and  local,  353,500. 

The  special  book  collections  include  the  library  of  Thomas 
Jefferson  purchased  for  $23,950  in  1815,  6,760  volumes,  of  which 
two-thirds  were  destroyed  by  fire  in  1851 ;  the  Peter  Force  collec- 
tion of  Americana,  60,000  books  and  pamphlets,  purchased  for 
$100,000  in  1867 ;  the  Toner  collection  of  medicine  and  American 
local  history,  24,484  volumes,  presented  by  Dr.  Joseph  M.  Toner 
in  1882 ;  the  Yudin  collection,  80,000  volumes  chiefly  in  the  Rus- 
sian language,  particularly  valuable  for  the  history  of  Russia  and 
Siberia,  acquired  in  1907 ;  the  Japanese  collection,  9,000  volumes, 
purchased  in  1907 ;  the  Huitfeldt-Kaas  collection  of  Scandinavian 
literature,  5,000  volumes ;  the  Weber  collection  of  Sanskrit  liter- 
ature, 4,020  volumes;  the  Schiff-Deinard  collection  of  Semitica, 


TH^  LIBRARY  OF   CONGRESS  U 

22,000  volumes ;  the  Hoes  collection  of  4,864  books  and  pamphlets 
relating  to  the  Spanish- American  war;  the  Chinese  collection  of 
87,000  volumes  (fascicules)  acquired  for  the  most  part  since  1906. 

The  John  Boyd  Thacher  collections,  five  in  number,  deposited 
in  the  Library  by  Mrs.  Thacher  as  loans,  to  be  freely  administered 
for  exhibit  and  for  study,  are  especially  noteworthy:  European 
incunabula,  928  volumes,  printed  before  the  year  1501;  early 
Americana — works  relating  to  Columbus  and  the  discovery  of 
America;  the  French  Revolution,  1,581' printed  volumes;  "Out- 
lines of  the  French  Revolution  told  in  autographs",  a  collection 
of  1,600  letters  and  manuscript  documents;  and  a  collection  of 
autograph  documents  and  signatures  of  crowned  heads  of  Eu- 
rope and  other  foreign  celebrities  (1,300  pieces). 

The  main  collections  of  the  Library  are  supplemented  by  those 
of  several  separate  departments :  maps,  music,  prints,  law,  manu- 
scripts and  Semitic,  Slavic  and  Oriental  literature,  more  fully 
mentioned  hereafter  under  these  several  headings. 

ADMINISTRATION    (16  PERSONS) 

The  administrative  officers  of  the  Library  are  the  librarian, 
chief  assistant  librarian,  chief  clerk,  and  secretary. 

The  duties  of  the  librarian,  chief  assistant  librarian,  and  secre- 
tary are  those  customary  in  libraries,  save  that  the  librarian  is  not 
under  the  direction  of  a  board  of  trustees.  The  functions  of  the 
chief  clerk  are  those  of  an  executive  assistant.  He  is  charged 
with  the  discipline  of  the  force,  and  in  his  office  are  kept  records 
of  the  service  and  of  the  expenditures  under  the  appropriations 
for  the  Library  and  the  allotment  for  printing  and  binding. 

The  Act  of  June  29,  1922,  abolished  the  office  of  superintendent 
of  building  and  grounds  and  divided  the  duties  between  an  ad- 
ministrative assistant,  appointed  by  the  librarian,  and  the  architect 
of  the  Capitol.  To  the  latter  officer  the  act  gave  charge  of  all 
structural  work,  repairs,  the  operation  of  the  mechanical  appa- 
ratus, the  upkeep  of  the  grounds  and  the  purchasing  of  furniture. 

The  administrative  assistant,  aided  by  a  force  of  128  employees, 
is  charged  with  the  care,  maintenance  and  protection  of  the  build- 
ing, and  the  disbursement  of  the  appropriations. 


12  THE  LIBRARY   OF   CONGRESS 

THE  DIVISIONS. 

The  Library  force  is  organized  into  "divisions",  each  with  a 
chief  and  assistants;  some  of  the  divisions,  including  the  Copy- 
right Office,  are  further  divided  into  sections. 

The  Mail  and  Delivery  Division  (6  persons)  handles  all  ma- 
terials arriving  at  or  dispatched  from  the  Library  building,  includ- 
ing all  mail  matter  and  all  books  delivered  for  outside  use. 
The  yearly  mail  received  exceeds  310,000  items,  including  arti- 
cles received  for  copyright,  but  not  including  newspapers  and 
periodicals. 

The  Order  and  Accessions  Division  (14  persons)  organized  in 
1900,  attends  to  all  business  connected  with  the  purchase  of  mate- 
rial for  the  increase  of  the  collections  of  the  Library.  It  handles 
in  the  first  instance  all  such  purchases  and  also  all  gifts,  deposits, 
exchanges  and  transfers,  excepting  official  donations  of  govern- 
mental publications,  which  are  handled  in  the  Documents  Division. 

No  accession  books  are  kept,  as  the  files  of  vouchers  contain 
all  the  information  generally  recorded  in  formal  accession  records. 
Every  item  approved  for  purchase  is  entered  on  a  card,  and  from 
these  cards  the  orders,  in.  the  form  of  lists,  are  prepared  for  the 
dealer.  The  result  is  a  card  catalogue  of  accessions.  All  bills 
are  paid  by  check  on  the  Treasury  of  the  United  States  after  the 
most  careful  auditing  and  final  approval  by  the  librarian.  A  card- 
ledger  system  is  kept  which  shows  at  any  moment  the  condition 
of  each  appropriation,  the  outstanding  orders,  bills  paid,  and 
balances  available. 

Printing  Office  and  Bindery. — These  are  branches  of  the  Gov- 
ernment Printing  Office,  which  supplies  the  equipment  and  details 
the  workmen.  The  work  done  is  solely  for  the  Library,  and  is 
charged  to  the  "allotment"  of  the  Library  for  binding  and  print- 
ing. The  allotment  for  1922  was  $250,000;  for  1923,  $212,500. 
The  printing  office  prints  the  catalogue  cards,  and  all  needed  forms 
and  circulars.^  Six  linotype  m.achines  are  kept  constantly  busy  at 
the  card  work. 

^The  publications  of  tlie  Library  in  book  form  are  printed  at  the  Government 
Printing  Oflace,  not  at  the  Library  branch. 


THE  JUIBRARY   01^   CONGRESS  13 

The  binding  for  the  Library  is  mainly  done  in  the  building.  A 
special  Binding  Division  (3  persons)  has  charge  of  forwarding 
material  in  proper  shape,  keeping  accounts  with  the  bindery,  etc. 

The  Catalogue  Division  (91  persons)  deals  with  printed  books 
and  pamphlets  only,  and  includes  the  work  of  classification,  shelf- 
listing,  labeling,  preparation  of  copy  of  catalogue  cards  for  the 
printer,  proof  reading,  and  filing  cards  in  the  various  catalogues. 

The  Catalogue  Division  not  only  catalogues  and  classifies  the 
current  accessions  (over  100,000  volumes  annually),  but  has  been 
engaged  since  1899  in  reclassifying  and  recataloguing  the  entire 
collection.  The  greater  part  of  the  Library  has  now  (1922)  been 
reclassified,  and  new  catalogue  entries  have  been  made  for  over 
four-fifths  of  the  entire  collection.  When  this  work  was  begun 
in  1899  there  were  approximately  700,000  volumes,  exclusive  of 
duplicates,  to  be  handled.  Moreover,  the  catalogue  being  in  the 
form  of  printed  cards,  a  considerable  force  otherwise  available  for 
cataloguing  was  necessarily  devoted  to  proof  reading.  Not  only 
has  the  enormous  task  been  almost  completed  in  a  little  more  than 
two  decades,  but  its  daily  results  in  the  cards  printed  have  been 
made  available  to  the  libraries  of  the  whole  country,  assisting 
them  to  an  extraordinary  degree  in  the  preparation  of  their  cata- 
logues and  relieving  them  of  a  very  considerable  expense. 

The  system  of  classification  adopted  has  been  devised  from  a 
comparison  of  existing  schemes  and  a  consideration  of  the  par- 
ticular conditions  in  this  Library.  The  schedules  are  still  some- 
what subject  to  change,  and  therefore  no  complete  scheme  has 
been  printed.  The  outlines  for  most  of  the  classes  have  been 
issued  in  pamphlet  form. 

The  main  catalogue  ^  of  books  and  pamphlets  is  in  the  form  of 
printed  cards,  arranged  in  the  "dictionary"  order — i.  e.,  author, 
title,  and  subject  entries  in  one  alphabet.  The  rules  followed  are 
those  of  the  American  and  British  Library  Associations.  There 
are  also  special  catalogues  in  book  form  for  many  of  the  special 


1  For  the  earlier  catalogues  in  book  form  see  Ford,  Paul  Leicester,  A  list  of  the 
Library  of  Congress  catalogues.  Library  Journal,  vol.  15,  pp.  326-327 ;  also  An- 
nual Report  of  the  Librarian,  1901,  Appendix  II,  pp.  362-367. 


14  THE  LIBRARY  OF   CONGRESS 

collections,  as  prints,  maps,  manuscripts,*  etc.  These  are  noted 
under  the  various  divisions. 

The  Card  Division  (50  persons)  established  in  1901,  handles 
the  accumulated  stock  of  printed  catalogue  cards  and  their  dis- 
tribution and  sale.* 

The  stock  now  (1922)  contains  over  870,000  different  cards, 
with  an  average  of  about  75  copies  of  each,  or  a  total  of  over 
65,000,000  cards.  They  are  stored  by  serial  number  in  steel  cases. 
Complete  sets  of  one  copy  of  each  card  published  are  on  deposit 
in  over  40  of  the  principal  library  centers  of  the  country,  enabling 
inquirers  in  those  places  to  ascertain  whether  a  book  is  in  the 
Library  of  Congress,  and  also  facilitating  greatly  the  ordering  of 
printed  cards.  Cards  may  be  ordered  by  card  number,  by  title,  by 
series  and  by  subject.  They  are  sold  under  the  law  governing  the 
sale  of  public  documents  at  the  cost  of  manufacture  plus  10  per 
cent.  The  price  of  the  first  copy  of  each  card  varies  from  2|c. 
to  5c.  according  to  method  of  ordering;  the  price  of  cards  after 
the  first  is  $.013  each.  In  1922  more  than  3,000  libraries  and 
individuals  purchased  cards,  and  the  receipts  from  sales  amounted 
to  over  $100,000. 

The  Bibliography  Division  (7  persons)  deals  with  inquiries  in- 
volving research  too  elaborate  for  the  attendants  in  the  reading 
room,  or  in  form  inconvenient  for  them  to  handle  expeditiously; 
compiles  and  publishes  lists  of  references  on  topics  of  current 
interest,  particularly  those  pending  in  Congress.  The  division 
furnishes  references  in  the  case  of  numerous  inquiries  received 
by  mail,  and  is  also  very  frequently  called  into  service  by  Members 
of  Congress. 

Reading  Rooms  (66  persons).  The  main  reading  room  is  in 
the  center  of  the  building.  It  has  desks  for  200  readers.  There 
are  60  tables  in  the  galleries  which  can  be  assigned  to  scholars 
making  extended  investigations.     The  issue  desk  in  the  center  is 

iCf.  U.  S.  Library  of  Congress,  Handbook  of  Card  Distribution.  5th  ed.  Wash- 
ington, Government  Printing  Oflfice,  1921. 

Hastings,  Charles  H.,  L.  C.  printed  cards  and  how  to  order  and  use  them.  4th 
ed.     Washington,  Government  Printing  OflSce,  1021. 


THK   LIBRARY  OF   CONGRESS  15 

connected  with  the  stacks,  the  Capitol,  Smithsonian  Division,  and 
the  librarian's  office  by  pneumatic  tubes.  Electric  book  carriers 
connect  the  desk  with  the  north  and  south  stacks  and  with  the 
Capitol.  Books  can  ordinarily  be  delivered  to  readers  in  about 
five  minutes  after  a  request  is  handed  in. 

The  alcoves  surrounding  the  reading  room  contain  a  reference 
collection  of  some  15,000  volumes,  to  which  access  is  entirely 
free.  The  card  catalogues  of  the  Library  are  on  the  floor  of  the 
reading  room. 

In  addition  to  the  main  reading  room  there  are  separate  reading 
rooms  for  Senators  and  Representatives.  A  station  is  maintained 
at  the  Capitol  for  the  receipt  and  delivery  of  books  (an  electric 
carrier  runs  through  a  tunnel  over  1,200  feet  long  connecting  the 
station  with  the  Library — the  passage  takes  three  minutes). 
There  are  also  in  their  respective  divisions  reading  rooms  for 
periodicals  and  newspapers,  fine  arts,  maps,  music,  and  law. 

There  is  also  a  separate  reading  room  for  the  blind,  equipped 
with  nearly  10,000  embossed-type  books,  pamphlets,  maps  and 
musical  compositions.  The  service  rendered  to  blind  readers  is 
country-wide  through  loans  by  mail  (post  free  under  a  special 
provision  of  law).  The  work  includes  also  informational  service 
(as  to  the  blind  and  undertakings  for  their  welfare)  much  sought 
and  influential.  It  is  also  a  directing  agency  for  the  work  of 
volunteers  embossing  books  for  the  blind. 

Periodicals  Diznsion  (12  persons),  organized  in  1901,  handles 
all  periodicals  as  received,  and  prepares  the  completed  volumes 
for  binding.  The  total  number  of  periodicals  received  is  in  ex- 
cess of  7,400.  Over  770  newspapers  are  currently  received,  in- 
cluding 120  foreign  newspapers;  of  these  327  are  bound  and 
shelved.  Half  the  space  in  the  new  stack  in  the  southeast  court 
is  fitted  up  with  shelving  designed  especially  for  bound  volumes 
of  newspapers.  The  files  of  American  newspapers  are  very  ex- 
tensive," (60,000  bound  volumes)  while  the  collection  of  news- 
papers   of    the    eighteenth    century    is    perhaps    the    largest    in 

iCf.  U.  S.  Library  of  Congress.  Check  List  of  American  Newspapers,  1901. 


16  THE   UBRARY   OF    CONGRESS 

America/  The  reading  room  for  periodicals  occupies  the  south 
side  of  the  building  on  the  main  floor.  It  has  seats  for  200  read- 
ers, who  have  direct  access  to  the  current  issues  of  about  280 
newspapers  and  over  1,500  magazines  which  are  on  file  in  this 
room. 

Documents  Division  (7  persons),  organized  in  1901.  The 
function  of  this  division  is  to  acquire,  arrange,  and  make  avail- 
able for  use  the  publications  of  governments,  national,  local,  and 
municipal,  and  of  quasi-public  bodies,  such  as  commercial  organi- 
zations, international  congresses,  and  the  like.  This  division  has 
charge  of  the  exchange  of  publications  of  the  Federal  Government 
for  those  of  other  nations.  The  average  annual  receipt  of  these 
foreign  documents  is  about  10,000  volumes  and  pamphlets.  The 
average  annual  accessions  of  all  documents  total  over  45,000,  of 
which  over  11,000  are  publications  of  the  several  States  of  the 
Union.  Since  January,  1910,  this  division  has  edited  the  Monthly 
Check-list  of  State  Publications. 

The  Division  of  Manuscripts  (4  persons),  established  1897,  has 
the  custody  of  manuscript  material  not  classified  as  maps,  music, 
or  prints.  There  is  a  special  reading  room  for  the  consultation  of 
manuscripts,  in  which  is  placed  the  card  index  to  the  collection. 
The  collection  consists  almost  wholly  of  the  papers  of  American 
public  men  and  of  the  Federal  Government,  and  is  by  far  the 
largest  in  America.  It  is  constantly  growing  by  gift  and  pur- 
chase. A  descriptive  handbook '  of  the  collections  was  issued  in 
1918;  calendars  have  been  published  of  several  of  the  groups  of 
papers,*  and  the  Journal  of  the  Continental  Congress  is  being  pub- 
lished by  the  Library.  The  various  departments  of  the  Govern- 
ment are  authorized  to  turn  over  to  the  Library  material  of  his- 

1  Cf ,  U.  S.  Library  of  Congress,  Check  List  of  American  Eigliteenth  Century  News- 
papers, compiled  by  J.  V.  N.  Ingram.  Washington,  Government  Printing  Office, 
1912. 

2  Handbook.     Handbook  of  Manuscripts  in  the  Library  of  Congress.     1918. 
•The  Franklin  papers  (1905)  ;  John  Paul  Jones  manuscripts  (1903)  ;  Papers  of 

James  Monroe  (1904)  ;  Naval  records  of  the  American  Revolution  (1906)  ;  Vemon- 
Wager  manuscripts  (1904)  ;  Washington  aids  (1906)  ;  Washington  correspondence 
(1906)  ;  Washington  manuscripts  (1901)  ;  Van  Buren  papers  (1911)  ;  Crittenden 
papers  (1913). 


THS  LIBRARY   OF    CONGRESS  l7 

torical  importance  as  it  ceases  to  be  needed  in  the  departments. 
Much  extremely  vahiable  material  has  been  received  in  pursuance 
•of  this  law. 

Manuscripts  are  repaired  (frequently  a  task  of  great  difficulty), 
mounted,  and  bound  into  volumes.  The  repairers  and  mounters 
handle  about  8,500  pieces  annually.  Index  cards  are  written  for 
all  important  items  in  each  manuscript. 

Manuscripts  are  consulted  by  readers  only  under  the  super- 
vision of  attendants.  The  privilege  of  making  extracts  and  photo- 
.:graphs  is  granted  on  permit  from  the  librarian. 

Division  of  Maps  and  Charts  (6  persons),  organized  in  1897. 
All  maps,  atlases,  and  many  works  on  cartography  are  in  the  cus- 
tody of  this  division  (174,093  pieces,  1922).  Maps  are  kept  flat 
in  steel  cases,  each  map  in  a  separate  manila  paper  folder.  The 
•collection  is  richest  in  maps  of  North  America,'  and  includes  a 
number  of  manuscript  maps.  The  collection  of  atlases  is  espe- 
cially noteworthy,'  comprising  over  5,300  titles,  including  most  of 
the  early  printed  atlases. 

The  Division  of  Music ^  (7  persons),  organized  1897,  has  the 
custody  of  the  collection  of  music  (both  scores  and  works  of 
music),  numbering  over  950,000  items  in  1922,  with  yearly  acces- 
sions of  more  than  30,000.  The  greater  part  of  the  collection  has 
been  acquired  by  copyright,  but  of  late  extensive  purchases  have 
been  made  in  addition.  The  Library  now  owns  one  of  the  largest 
and  finest  collections  of  music  in  the  world,  and  by  far  the  largest 
in  America.* 

»Cf.  U.  S.  Library  of  Congress,  A  List  of  Maps  of  America  in  the  Library  of 
•Congress  ...  by  P.  Lee  Phillips.     Washington,  Government  Printing  OflBce,  1901. 

»Cf.  U.  S.  Library  of  Congress,  A  List  of  Geographical  Atlases  in  the  Library  of 
Congress,  compiled  under  the  direction  of  P.  Lee  Phillips.  4  vols.  Washington, 
Government  Printing  Office,  1909-1920. 

•Sonneck,  O.  G.  T.,  The  Music  Division  of  the  Library  of  Congress,  in  the  Pro- 
ceedings of  the  Music  Teachers'  National  Association,  1908. 

*U.  S.  Library  of  Congress,  Dramatic  Music:  Catalogue  of  full  Scores.  Com- 
piled by  O.  G.  T.  Sonneck.  Washington,  Government  Printing  Office,  1908.  U.  S. 
Library  of  Congress,  Catalogue  of  Early  Books  on  Music  (before  1800)  ...  Wash- 
ington, Government  Printing  Office,  1913.  U.  S.  Library  of  Congress,  Catalogue 
of  Orchestral  Music,  Part  I,  scores  ...  by  O.  G.  T.  Sonneck.  Washington,  Govern- 
ment Printing  Office,  1912.  U.  S.  Library  of  Congress,  Catalogue  of  Opera  Libret- 
tos printed  before  1800.     2  vols.     Washington,  Government  Printing  Office,  1914. 


18  THE  LIBRARY   01^   CONGRESS  ' 

Division  of  Prints  (5  persons),  organized  in  1897.  The  col- 
lections of  prints  of  all  sorts  and  the  books  and  periodicals  devoted 
to  the  fine  arts  are  in  charge  of  this  division.  In  1922  the  books 
numbered  about  44,000  volumes ;  the  prints,  photographs  and  re- 
productions of  all  kinds  numbered  428,745  pieces.  Worthy  of 
special  note  are  the  George  Lothrop  Bradley  collection  of  1,980* 
pieces  (originally  a  loan  but  now  the  property  of  the  Library), 
the  Gardiner  Greene  Hubbard  collection  of  prints  (of  which  the 
Library  issued  a  catalogue  in  1905),  the  Joseph  and  Elizabetb 
Robins  Pennell  collection  of  Whistler iana  presented  in  1917,  and: 
a  bequest  of  about  1,000  prints  from  the  late  C.  L.  Freer.  Addi- 
tions to  the  Hubbard  collection  are  made  from  the  income  arising 
from  a  bequest  of  $20,000  made  by  Mrs.  Hubbard  for  this  specific 
purpose.  In  addition  to  these  collections  the  T.  H.  Garrett  collec- 
tion of  19,113  pieces  has  been  deposited  as  a  loan  for  exhibition^ 
and  reference. 

Law  Library  (8  persons)  ;  196,573  volumes  in  1922.  Part  of 
the  Law  Library  (American  and  English  statutes,  reports  and' 
legal  periodicals,  together  with  a  selection  of  American  and  Eng- 
lish treatises)  is  kept  at  the  Capitol,  where  it  occupies  rooms  on- 
the  ground  floor.  In  the  Library  proper  are  placed  works  on 
foreign  law,  history  and  philosophy  of  law,  and  jurisprudence, 
nearly  complete  sets  of  American  reports,  a  selection  of  treatises, 
and  a  set  of  the  original  Records  and  Briefs  of  the  United  States- 
Supreme  Court. 

The  Law  Library  also  contains  a  valuable  collection  of  legal' 
incunabula  and  other  early  material. 

Under  the  direction  of  the  law  librarian,  acting  under  special' 
authorization  from  Congress,  an  index  to  the  Federal  Statutes 
from  1789  to  1907  was  compiled  and  published  in  1908-11.'  This 
index  has  since  been  brought  up  to  date  as  a  card  index  by  the 
American  Law  Section  of  the  Legislative  Reference  Service. 

lAn  Index  Analysis  of  the  Federal  Statutes  ...  by  G.  W.  Scott  and  M.  G.  Bea- 
man.  Prepared  under  the  direction  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress.  2  vols.  Wash- 
ington, Government  Printing  OflSce,  1908-11.  (Not  distributed  by  the  Library,, 
but  sold  only  by  the  Superintendent  of  Documents) 


TH^  LIBRARY   OF   CONGRESS  1^ 

Division  of  Semitic,  Slavic  and  Oriental  literature  (5  persons), 
organized  in  1914.  This  is  the  only  division  whose  field  is  de- 
limited by  the'  languages  of  the  material  to  be  administered.  Its^ 
functions  include  the  cataloguing  and  classifying  of  books  in  the 
three  groups  indicated  above,  as  well  as  the  custody,  care  and 
administration  of  these  collections. 

The  Semitic  collection  contains  about  22,300  volumes  in  the- 
Hebrew,  Yiddish  and  cognate  languages,  the  most  of  which,  col- 
lected by  Dr.  Ephraim  Deinard,  were  presented  to  the  Library 
by  the  late  Mr.  Jacob  Schiff  in  1912  and  1914.  Yearly  additions 
have  made  the  collection  one  of  the  largest  and  most  important, 
both  in  quality  and  quantity. 

The  Slavic  collection  contains  80,000  volumes,  chiefly  in  the 
Russian  language.  The  private  library  of  Gennadius  Vasilievich 
Yudin  of  Krasnoiarsk,  Siberia,  acquired  in  1907,  constitutes  the 
greater  part  of  the  collection,  to  which,  however,  considerable 
additions  are  made  each  year  through  purchase  and  gift. 

The  Oriental  collection  consists  chiefly  of  East  Asiatic  liter- 
ature. It  includes  upwards  of  87,000  Chinese  volumes,  possibly 
the  largest  and  best  Chinese  library  outside  of  China.  This  col- 
lection was  begun  by  the  first  American  minister  to  China,  Hon. 
Caleb  Cushing,  who  brought  home  about  2,500  selected  works  for 
the  Library.  During  the  Roosevelt  administration  another  Amer- 
ican minister,  Hon.  W.  W.  Rockhill,  gave  more  than  6,00D 
volumes  and  the  Chinese  government  gave  7,000.  The  preemi- 
nence of  the  collection  is  due,  however,  to  additions  in  excess  of 
50,000  volumes  selected  for  the  Library  since  1914  by  Dr.  Walter 
T.  Swingle  of  the  Department  of  Agriculture. 

Japanese  books  to  the  number  of  13,000  volumes,  selected  for 
the  most  part  by  Dr.  Asakawa  of  Yale  University  with  the  assist- 
ance of  other  Japanese  authorities  make  up  a  good  working  col- 
lection for  students  of  Japanese  history,  literature  and  institutions. 

East  Indian  languages  and  literature  are  represented  by  the 
library  of  the  late  Dr.  Albrecht  Weber,  professor  of  Sanskrit  at 
the  University  of  Berlin,  comprising  4,020  vplumes  acquired  in 
1905. 


20  THE  I.IBRARY  O^   CONGRESS 

Smaller  groups  of  Manchu,  Mongol,  Korean,  Thibetan,  Turk- 
ish, Persian  and  Arabic  books  constitute  the  remainder  of  the 
Orientalia. 

The  Legislative  Reference  Division  (variable  number  of  per- 
sons), organized  in  1914,  renders  service  only  to  Congress,  its 
committees  and  members,  by  gathering  data  bearing  upon  legis- 
lation. It  collects,  classifies  and  indexes  material  containing  in- 
formation on  topics  likely  to  come  up  for  Congressional  action. 
Corresponding  to  three  principal  classes  of  topics  on  which  in- 
formation is  required,  the  division  is  organized  in  three  sections : 

(a)  The  American  lav^  section,  which  indexes  the  Federal  and 

state  laws  as  rapidly  as  the  texts  become  available. 

(b)  The  Foreign  law  section,  which  indexes  and  translates  the 

laws  of  other  countries. 

(c)  The  Economic,  Statistic  and  History  section,  which  collects 

and  indexes  current  miscellaneous  material  on  matters 
likely  to  be  the  subject  of  Congressional  inquiry. 

Copyright  Office  (91  persons),  organized  in  its  present  form  in 
1897.  It  has  the  entire  "copyright  business"  in  its  charge.  The 
office  is  under  the  register  of  copyrights,  who  "acts  under  the 
direction  and  supervision  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress".  It 
receives  and  records  all  material  offered  for  copyright  entry, 
turning  over  to  the  Library  such  items  as  are  desired.  Fees 
received  from  owners  of  copyrights  are  turned  into  the  United 
States  Treasury.  These  amounted  to  $138,516.15  in  1922,  ex- 
ceeding the  appropriation  for  the  office  by  $33,776.15.  The  total 
number  of  articles  deposited  was  241,262  in  1922.  The  office 
publishes  in  weekly  and  monthly  issues  a  Catalogue  of  Copyright 
Entries,  recording  each  item  copyrighted,  and  forming  the  most 
complete  record  made  of  the  product  of  the  press  of  America. 

The  Library  of  Congress  and  other  libraries. — The  resources  of 
the  Library  of  Congress  are  available  for  other  libraries,  (1)  by 
the  sale  and  deposit  of  printed  catalogue  cards;  (2)  interlibrary 
loans;  (3)  distribution  and  sale  of  its  publications,  including 
bibliographies  of  special  topics;   (4)   cooperation  in  publishing. 


TH^    LIBRARY    O?    CONGRESS  21 

The  sale  of  printed  cards  has  been  mentioned  above/  The  inter- 
library  loan  is  a  matter  of  comparatively  recent  development.  It 
acts  on  the  principle  that  the  duty  of  the  national  library  is  to  aid 
the  unusual  need  with  the  unusual  book.  Books  are  lent  to  other 
libraries  for  the  use  of  investigators  engaged  in  research  expected 
to  enlarge  the  boundaries  oi  knowledge.  The  material  lent  can  not 
include,  therefore,  books  that  should  be  in  a  local  library,  or  that 
can  be  borrowed  from  a  library  (such  as  a  State  library)  having 
a  particular  duty  to  the  community  from  which  the  application 
comes;  nor  books  that  are  inexpensive  and  can  easily  be  pro- 
cured; nor  books  for  the  general  reader,  mere  textbooks,  or 
popular  manuals ;  nor  books  where  the  purpose  is  ordinary  student 
or  thesis  work,  or  for  mere  self-instruction.  Nor  can  it  include 
material  which  is  in  constant  use  at  Washington,  or  whose  loan 
would  be  an  inconvenience  to  Congress,  or  to  the  executive  de- 
partments of  the  Government,  or  to  reference  readers  in  the 
Library  of  Congress. 

Genealogies  and  local  histories  are  not  as  a  rule  available  for 
loan,  nor  are  newspapers,  the  latter  forming  part  of  a  consecutive 
historical  record  which  the  Library  of  Congress  is  expected  to 
retain  and  preserve ;  and  only  for  serious  research  can  the  privi- 
lege be  extended  to  include  volumes  of  periodicals. 

The  expense  of  transportation  are  borne  by  the  borrowing 
library. 

The  publications*  of  the  Library  are  distributed  by  exchange 
with  other  institutions  and  by  sale  through  the  office  of  the  Super- 
intendent of  Documents  of  the  Government  Printing  Office.  A 
very  limited  number  is  distributed  gratis. 

The  Library  has  cooperated  with  the  American  Library  Asso- 
ciation in  editing  and  publishing  the  A.  L.  A.  Catalog  of  1904  and 
the  A.  L.  A.  Portrait  Index,  and  with  the  libraries  of  the  District 
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